Fountain Abbey Arthur

# Every day when you're walkin' down the street

# Everybody that you meet

# Has an original point of view

-# And I say, hey!

-Hey!

# What a wonderful kind of day If we can learn to work and play

# And get along with each other

# You gotta listen to your heart Listen to the beat

# Listen to the rhythm The rhythm of the street

# Open up your eyes! Open up your ears!

# Get together and make things better By working together

# It's a simple message And it comes from the heart

# Oh, believe in yourself For that's the place to start

-# And I say, hey!

-Hey!

-What a wonderful kind of day

# If we can learn to work and play And get along with each other

# What a wonderful kind of day, hey! What a wonderful kind of day, HEY! #

Hey, DW.

-Hey!

-Whoa...

I can't believe it.

After all these years, it turns out I really am a princess.

Ugh! You're doing it all wrong.

Sorry, your highness.

Anyway, you don't know for sure that you're a princess yet.

No, but I will in just a few hours.

To me, the new princess of Fountain Abbey.

PIANO MUSIC PLAYS

CROCKERY CLINKS

ALL: Cheers!

Ah, I so love to waltz.

Ow!

You're stepping on my foot, you clod.

Where's my maid?

Hello! Hello!

There you are. My toe hurts.

Fetch me a bandage and a cup of tea.

Next, I want a bath and a fire, and heated towels

and a foot massage, and my hair brushed 500 times...

I think I'm going to make a wonderful princess.

Don't you, Francine?

Francine?

Come to Muffy's coronation. What are you being made queen of?

Is it bad hats? I could see you being queen of that.

This isn't a hat.

It's a tiara - that's what princesses wear.

Muffy thinks she's going to find out she's a princess today.

I've always been curious about my family history,

so Daddy hired a company to do some research.

Look what they found.

It's my great-great-grandmother, who lived at Fountain Abbey,

a magnificent castle in England.

Isn't my great-great-grandmamma beautiful?

She's obviously a princess, so I must be one too!

Hmm... Where have I seen this before?

The company is delivering their final report today.

Tea and finger-sandwiches will be served and you're all invited,

even the little scamp.

Ta-ta! Ta-ta!

Mwah, mwah, mwah, mwwwah!

Barnes family history.

So that's where I saw it before.

I want some peanut butter next time. Enough with the cucumber.

Here it is.

I just want you all to know that I'll still be your friend,

even after I'm a princess.

Oh, brother. Just open it already.

It's Mary-Alice's diary.

"The private diary of Mary-Alice Miller, Fountain Abbey,

"housemaid." What?

There must be some mistake!

"November 11th - dusted Lord Bantam's study. Broke a vase.

"November 30th - dusted the sewing room. Broke a window.

"December 24th - dusted stables. Broke..."

No, it can't be!

MUFFY CRIES

MUFFY SOBS

Muffy, are you OK?

I thought I was a princess...

but all I am is the great-great-granddaughter of a maid.

-MUFFY SOBS

-Ahem.

-Uh...

Well, Binky's here. He says he has something to show you.

I came right over. You are not going to believe this.

I don't get it. How come YOU have a picture of Fountain Abbey?

Because that's my ancestor -

Lord Bantam, the owner of Fountain Abbey.

-What?

-Wait,

so your great-great-grandmother was his maid?

Isn't that cool?

No, it's not cool. It's a disaster.

What's the big deal?

OK, so you're not an aristocrat - neither are we.

-Well, actually I'm related to a lord, so...

-Shh.

Why don't we at least read the diary?

It's probably really interesting. I'll start.

"May 17th, 1912. The day began like any other,

"with Mr Clarkson as demanding as ever."

That's right, Mary-Alice, use long, broad strokes.

The countess cannot abide wrinkles in the newspaper.

BELL RINGS

Mary-Alice, didn't you hear the bell? His Lordship requires you.

Is it some holiday I'm not aware of?

-BELL RINGS

-Oh, sorry, Mr Clarkson.

-Hmm.

-That one thinks she's better than the rest of us.

Now, now, Miss O'Brien, I will not have gossiping among the staff.

HE SNIFFS

HE GASPS

HE SIGHS

You rang, my Lordship?

Hmm? Oh, sorry. It was an accident.

I was simply looking forlornly out the window.

-HE SIGHS

-Carry on.

GLASS SMASHES

SHE HUMS A TUNE

STATUE CRACKS

Do you have any idea how hard it is being a lord, Mary-Alice?

You mean eating gourmet dinners, attending fancy balls

and taking trips to exotic lands?

No, my lord, I can't imagine.

STATUE CRUMBLES

I know it sounds rather grand, but it's frightfully dull.

Well, I do understand about boredom, sir. I hate being a maid.

But you're so good at it.

Sir...

I've only been in this room for a minute

and already I have destroyed three priceless objects.

You ARE terrible. It's almost impressive.

-BALL BOUNCES

-Make that four.

I say, would you like to see me juggle?

Ever since I was a little boy, I've always wanted to join the circus.

I've been practising. Watch.

-Not bad, eh?

-Forgive me, my Lord, but that isn't juggling.

That's just tossing a pin up in the air and catching it.

You need more than one object for it to be juggling.

Really? I never knew.

It did seem rather easy. I'm so glad we had this chat.

Well, I think I'll continue looking

forlornly out the window until lunch.

-HE SIGHS

-Good day, Mary-Alice.

CRASH

THEY GASP That's quite enough.

If I had wanted to wear the soup, I would have summoned my dressmaker.

Sorry, ma'am.

Have you given any thought to our financial situation?

Need I remind you, Binkford, we are quite broke.

-If I may be so bold, ma'am...

-You may not.

Mother, I'd like to hear what Mary-Alice has to say.

I don't see why. She can't even serve soup.

SHE SIGHS Very well.

You may proceed.

Why don't you sell off the land behind the church?

It's not being farmed and it's a seller's market.

Bah, preposterous! Do you have any ideas, Binkford?

I was thinking we could sell off the land behind the church.

It's a seller's market, you know.

Hmm!

Another month has passed and Fountain Abbey

continues to lose money.

If only they'd let me run things.

I have so many ideas.

-HORSESHOE CLANGS

-Oh, I am sorry.

I was practising my new act.

Look, now I can juggle three items.

-Do you think that's good enough for the circus?

-Hmm...

Perhaps we can make your act a tad more dramatic.

-HORSE WHINNIES

-Ho-ho. Behold,

Binkford Bantam, the juggling lord.

-HORSE NEIGHS

-Look at her, gallivanting about

with the lord. I'll teach her to mind her station.

This spot would be perfect.

Making pretty pictures, are we? Relax, dearie.

I just came to give you a birthday present.

-SHE GASPS

-They're beautiful,

but it isn't my birthday.

Isn't it? Oh, well.

It will be someday.

SHE CACKLES

I'll skip the soup, thank you. I just had a bath.

SHE GASPS Those earrings.

Aren't they charmante?

Very. They also happen to be mine!

Destroying hundreds of priceless antiquities is one thing -

stealing my earrings is quite another.

But I'm innocent!

O'Brien gave them to me as a birthday present.

I did no such thing. It isn't even your birthday.

-What?

-Binkford, you must fire her.

Very well, but before I go, I'd like you to have these.

They're plans for a circus you could build on the land.

With just a small admission fee, I'm convinced you could make millions.

Hmm...

Perhaps there is a place for you at Fountain Abbey after all,

as its business manager.

What?! After all the trouble I went through to frame her,

you're giving her a promotion?!

I mean, congratulations, Mary-Alice.

Couldn't happen to a nicer maid.

"And so today, August 1st, 1912, I ended my life as a maid

"and began my new life as the estate's manager."

What an amazing story.

So what happened to Mary-Alice

after she took over running Fountain Abbey?

Hmm... I don't know.

It doesn't say.

Hmm... Nothing here about Mary-Alice.

It's much better to be related to a maid who fought her way

up from nothing - it's the Muffy way.

I found something in this old newspaper.

"August 21st, 1923. Say goodbye, England, to Mary-Alice Miller,

"who sails for America today."

Goodbye, England. Goodbye!

How clever of you to sell Fountain Abbey to that newspaper mogul.

-We made oodles of money.

-I know, I'm amazing.

O'Brien, where's my tea?

I can't wait for my next adventure.

I think I'll travel around America by car - I so adore those machines.

Goodbye, Fountain Abbey, until we meet again.